Linguine Al Limone Recipes

CREAMY LINGUINE PASTA AL LIMONE

Steps:

• Grate off the zest/peel of the lemons being careful to leave the pith (white part). Then cut the lemon(s) in two. You want to end up with about a flat tablespoonful of zest
• Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Add two half lemons to the water and squeeze the lemon juice from the second lemon into the water. When the water comes to a boil, add salt, let it come to the boil again and add the pasta.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and butter in a frying pan or skillet. Add the lemon zest and let it cook just a few moments, until you begin to smell the lemon. Then add the cream to the pan, Stir well and add the grated Parmigiano cheese, a pinch of salt and ground pepper.
• Allow the cream to cook a bit, then turn it off. Add a generous sprinkling of finely chopped parsley and mix.
• Cook the pasta until just al dente according to the instructions on the packet. When the pasta is almost cooked, add a half ladle of the pasta cooking water to the lemon cream and stir it in. Save a bit more of the pasta cooking water and then drain the pasta and transfer it to the pan with the sauce
• Mix well, allowing the pasta to absorb the flavors of the sauce add a little more pasta cooking water if the sauce is too thick.
• Serve immediately, sprinkled with a little more grated lemon zest, chopped parsley and grated Parmigiano if required.

LINGUINE AL LIMONE

Steps:

• Carefully remove a thin layer of rind from the lemons using a vegetable peeler. Mince the rind very finely. There will be about 2 tablespoons. Set aside.
• Remove all of the white pith from the lemons and section flesh, discarding membranes and seeds. Set aside.
• In a small heavy saucepan over low heat, bring the cream, brandy and lemon pulp to a boil. Boil gently for 7 to 8 minutes until slightly reduced.
• Cook linguine in lots of boiling salted water until al dente. Place drained linguine in a large, warm bowl and toss with the 2 tablespoons butter. Add sauce and toss to combine. Add Parmesan cheese and toss again.
• Serve immediately with the reserved lemon zest and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

LEMON LINGUINE

Steps:

• Fill just about the biggest pot you have with water and bring to a boil. When friends are coming for lunch, get the water heated to boiling point before they arrive, otherwise you end up nervously hanging around waiting for a watched pot to boil while your supposedly quick lunch gets later and later. Bring the water to the boil, cover and turn off burner.
• I tend to leave the addition of salt until the water comes to a boil a second time. But whichever way you do it, add quite a bit of salt. When the bubbling's encouragingly fierce, put in the pasta. I often put the lid on for a moment or so just to let the pasta get back to the boil, but don't turn your back on it, and give it a good stir with a pasta fork or whatever to avoid even the suspicion of stickiness, once you've removed the lid.
• Then get on with the sauce, making sure you've set your timer for about a minute or so less than the time specified on the package of pasta.
• In a bowl, add the yolks, cream, Parmesan, zest of the whole lemon and juice of half of it, the salt and good grind of pepper, and beat with a fork. You don't want it fluffy, just combined. Taste. If you want it more lemony, then of course add more juice.
• When the timer goes off, taste to judge how near the pasta is to being ready. I recommend that you hover by the stove so you don't miss that point. Don't be too hasty, though. Everyone is so keen to cook their pasta properly al dente that sometimes the pasta is actually not cooked enough. You want absolutely no chalkiness here. And linguine (or at least I find it so) tend not to run over into soggy overcookedness quite as quickly as other long pasta. This makes sense, of course, as the strands of "little tongues" are dense than the flat ribbon shapes.
• Anyway, as soon as the pasta looks ready, remove a cup of the cooking liquid, drain the pasta, and then, off the heat, toss it back in the pot or put it in an efficiently preheated bowl, throw in the butter, and stir and swirl about to make sure the butter's melted and the pasta covered by it all over. Each strand will be only mutely gleaming, as there's not much butter and quite a bit of pasta. If you want to add more, then do; good butter is the best flavoring, best texture, best mood enhancer there is.
• When you're satisfied the pasta's covered with its soft slip of butter, then stir in the egg mixture and turn the pasta well in it, adding some of the cooking liquid if it looks a bit dry (only 2 tablespoons or so - you don't want a wet mess - and only after you think the sauce is incorporated). Sprinkle over the parsley and serve now, now, now.

SPAGHETTI AL LIMONE: SPAGHETTI WITH LEMON SAUCE

Steps:

• Place the spaghetti in a pot of boiling salted water and stir immediately to prevent the strands from sticking. Cook the spaghetti to 'al dente'.
• Cut the garlic in half and rub the exposed area along the interior of a large serving bowl. The raw garlic flavor will coat the inside surface of the serving bowl. Discard the garlic. Add the freshly squeezed lemon juice and slowly drizzle in extra-virgin olive oil while whisking. Whisk until the ingredients have emulsified. Mix in the salt and Parmigiano cheese.
• When the spaghetti is 'al dente', drain and add to the serving bowl. Mix the pasta with the lemon sauce to coat evenly. Sprinkle the pasta dish with Parmigiano cheese, fresh parsley and lemon zest. Serve immediately.

LINGUINE AL LIMONE WITH GRILLED CHIA-CHICKEN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together the chia seeds and water and let stand for about 20 minutes. (Makes 3/4 cup extra-thick chia gel.)
• Prepare an indoor or outdoor grill, or preheat the oven to 475°F.
• In a large bowl, use your hands to evenly combine the chia gel, ground chicken, oats, onion, 1/4 cup of the cheese, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the parsley, oregano, garlic, 1 teaspoon of the salt, 1/2 teaspoon of the black pepper, and the red pepper flakes. When evenly combined, firmly form mixture into 20 meatballs (about 3 tablespoons each).
• Grill over medium heat until well done and brown on all sides, about 15 minutes, rotating only as needed. Alternatively, line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with cooking spray. Arrange the meatballs on the baking sheet and roast until well done, about 20 minutes. Insert 4 (10-inch) skewers into cooked meatballs, 5 meatballs each. If necessary, keep warm in 175°F oven while preparing linguine.
• Cook the linguine according to package directions. Drain the pasta, reserving 3/4 cup pasta cooking water.
• Bring the half-and-half, the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, and reserved pasta water to a boil over high heat in a large saucepan. Add the drained pasta and toss to combine. Add the lemon juice and toss to combine. Add the remaining 1/3 cup of cheese, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper and toss to combine.
• Transfer the linguine to four large pasta bowls. Top each with a skewer of chicken meatballs, sprinkle with basil and lemon zest, and serve.

SPAGHETTI AL LIMONE WITH SHRIMP

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the spaghetti and cook according to package directions until al dente. Scoop out 1 cup of the cooking liquid, then drain the pasta and set aside.
• While the pasta cooks, pat the shrimp dry and season them with salt and black pepper. Combine the olive oil, lemon zest (setting a few pinches aside for serving) and tarragon in a large skillet set over medium heat. When the oil begins to sizzle, cook for 1 more minute, until the zest and tarragon are fragrant but not browned.
• Add the shrimp to the skillet and spread into an even layer. Cook for about 90 seconds on each side, or until just cooked through. Transfer the shrimp to a plate and set aside.
• Add the wine, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper to the skillet, and bring to a simmer, scraping any browned bits from the pan. Cook until the wine has reduced by about half, then set aside, off the heat, until the pasta has finished cooking.
• Add the cooked pasta and reserved pasta water to the skillet. Cook over medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, tossing often, until the liquid that has collected at the bottom of the skillet has reduced slightly. (The sauce should still be fairly loose at this point.)
• Off the heat, add the butter and 1/2 cup Parmesan, sprinkling the cheese evenly over the pasta. Toss until the butter and cheese are melted and the sauce is smooth. Add the lemon juice and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan and toss until the sauce is thick and smooth.
• Add the shrimp, toss, then season with more salt and black pepper to taste. Divide among shallow bowls and garnish with chopped fresh tarragon, lemon zest and black pepper.

SPAGHETTI AL LIMONE

Steps:

• Using a vegetable peeler, remove two (2"-long) strips of lemon zest. Thinly slice each strip lengthwise into strands; set aside for serving. Finely grate remaining zest into a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot. Cut lemon in half and squeeze juice into a small bowl to yield 2 Tbsp.; set aside.
• Add cream to pot and cook over medium heat, whisking often, until liquid is just beginning to simmer, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Whisk in butter 1 Tbsp. at a time until melted and sauce is creamy. Remove from heat; cover to keep warm.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in another large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until very al dente, about 2 minutes less than package directions.
• Scoop out ¾ cup pasta cooking liquid and add to cream sauce. Return sauce to medium heat. Using tongs, transfer pasta to sauce and cook, tossing often and adding Parmesan a little at a time, until sauce is creamy, about 3 minutes. If sauce looks tight, add 1-2 Tbsp. more pasta cooking liquid. (Cream sauces tighten as they cool, so lean on the saucy side.) Stir in reserved lemon juice; season with salt.
• Divide pasta among bowls. Season with pepper and top with reserved lemon zest strands.